


The Boy From Ba Sing Se

by Neva_Borne



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Adorable, Ambassador Katara, AtLA, Awkward Zuko, Ba Sing Se, Cute, Drinking Tea, F/M, Fire Lord Zuko, Fire Nation, Fluff, Fluff prompt, One Shot, Post-Canon, Romance, Tales of Ba Sing Se, Tea, Tumblr Prompt, Young Love, Zutara, Zutara Prompt, date, making tea, prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:28:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26352676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neva_Borne/pseuds/Neva_Borne
Summary: Zuko makes tea for Katara. Iroh interrupts, sparking a discussion of Zuko's days in Ba Sing Se.
Relationships: Katara & Zuko (Avatar), Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 134
Collections: Zutara One Shots





	The Boy From Ba Sing Se

It was a quiet afternoon at the Fire Nation Royal Palace. Almost a year and a half had passed since Aang had ended the war and Team Avatar had split up and gone their separate ways, and the late autumn season had brought with it its usual chilly rain and overcast skies. It was the weekend, and none of the Fire Lord’s advisors decided there was anything important enough to leave their houses for. 

Caldera City was quiet, too. Firebenders didn’t like the rain, and if they had to leave their homes or shops, they pulled thick hooded cloaks over their heads and hunched their shoulders against the slight wind, hurrying as quickly through the cobbled streets as they could.

Katara loved the rain, and found it amusing to see nobles and commoners alike scurrying through the drizzle as if it might cause them to melt if it touched their skin. She stood by the balcony doors of her guest room in the palace, watching the city below the palace. The doors were open, the chill of the air circulating into her bedroom and the smell of rain, damp and refreshing, reached her nostrils. 

She breathed in deeply, a small smile touching her lips as she watched the raindrops fall from the sky. It reminded her a bit of the South Pole, really, which is why she loved visiting the Fire Nation in the autumn and winter. She loved visiting in the summer too, of course.

She had become the Southern Water Tribe’s Ambassador to the Fire Nation in the wake of the war, since her father was Chief and Sokka was busy helping him rebuild and preparing to take over as Chief when the time came. When his hands weren’t full with that, he was busy planning his and Suki’s wedding, which would take place come spring.

She liked being Ambassador. She got to visit the Fire Nation fairly often, which suited her just fine since her boyfriend lived there.

Her boyfriend. 

It still felt strange to call him that after all they’d been through. When they had parted ways following the coronation, they had still been just friends. Or, as “just friends” as they could be when one of them had taken a lightning bolt for the other. But so much had been happening and the world was still reeling from the sudden end of the war that they hadn’t had a chance to really talk much before Katara had left with her father and Sokka to help rebuild the Southern Water Tribe. 

They’d kept in contact through letters. At one point Katara mentioned that Sokka was a little miffed that she was using Hawky so much - “wearing him out” according to him - that Zuko’s reply had come not only with Hawky but with a second bird with beautiful red and gold plumage. The small crest of feathers on the top of her head were, in a certain light, a deep blue. 

The letter Hawky carried was the official reply to her original letter. The letter the other bird carried explained that she was Zuko’s gift to her: her very own messenger hawk. 

_ Her name is Imiq. My uncle told me it means “water” in your language. I hope you like her. _

Katara, of course,  _ loved  _ her. 

Throughout the rest of the cold winter that kept her trapped in the South Pole because the harbor was iced over, she used Imiq to keep up to date on Zuko’s goings on. Although she could have broken through the ice with her waterbending, if she recruited a few of the Northern Tribe waterbenders who had moved into their tribe, the sailors - especially her father - were wary of the danger of hidden ice floes or icebergs that might lurk beneath the surface of the ocean. So, she used Imiq to tell Zuko that she planned to visit come spring and that she was looking forward to seeing him. 

She had left the South Pole as soon as the spring had melted the ice enough to calm the sailors’ concerns, and had spent the majority of the trip on the deck of the ship, staring out across the ocean towards where she knew the Fire Nation islands lay.

That was when he’d asked her to be her tribe’s ambassador to the Fire Nation, almost as soon as she had stepped off the small, sturdy Water Tribe ship onto the private palace harbor in Caldera City. She’d run into his arms and given him a bone crushing hug, ignoring any semblance of official greeting, and he had responded in kind.

He’d smelled so good, so familiar, like heat and spice and woodsmoke, and for a moment - a moment that lasted a little too long for the Fire Sage’s taste, judging by the pointed cough that had eventually sounded from behind Zuko where they stood - they just reveled in each other’s company. 

When they’d broken apart, he’d grinned down at her and she’d grinned right back up at him, and that’s when he’d asked if she wanted the job. Imiq, who had traveled with Katara since she had grown attached to the bird, had been dispatched within the hour to ask for Hakoda’s approval on the position.

Since then, Katara had visited the Fire Nation as often as she could. Sometimes she stayed for one or two months at a time, sometimes just a few weeks, and - on the worst trips - only a few days. 

Her first visit, that spring after the war had ended, Zuko had shown her the royal gardens, lush and green already due to the Fire Nation climate, with early spring flowers creating spots of color. That was where they finally talked about the Agni Kai, about what had happened, about Mai and Aang and their feelings.

That was where Zuko had stammered and shaken, staring down at his lap as he told her that he was in love with her - had been for a while but even he didn’t know how long, though he’d  _ realized  _ it when he saw Azula’s lightning headed for her heart. Katara had taken his hand and made him look up at her, and she told him she felt the same. Because she did. And she’d realized it back then too.

It had been about eight months since then, and Katara felt like she’d only gotten to spend quality time with Zuko a handful of times. She wasn’t worried - she knew their relationship was solid despite its relative newness - but she wished that both of them weren’t quite so busy.

“Hey.”

His voice startled her and she turned, blinking as her eyes adjusted from the bright greyness of the outside world to the dim, red interior of her bedroom. 

He was standing in the doorway, his hair loose, his formal robes forgone in favor of more comfortable casual wear, and he was smiling at her in that way he did. 

“Hey,” she murmured back.

“I um… I made tea.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s in the sun room. If you want?”

She smiled at him. He was still so awkward around her. It was a stark contrast from the controlled, confident Fire Lord side of him that she saw in their political meetings: the side of him that his people knew and respected.

Walking over, she extended her hand and interlaced their fingers. “I’d love some.” 

She grinned, and they strode together down the hallway to the sun room. It was a small room with large floor-to-ceiling windows. On sunny days, the room was so bright it was almost blinding, and so warm that they had installed special vents to circulate fresh air into the room so that occupants didn’t sweat profusely. Now, though, with the overcast skies and the rain, it was still bright, but only as warm as the rest of the palace. 

One of the windows was cracked open to let in fresh air that smelled like rain, and Katara inhaled deeply as they sat down at the table Zuko had laid out for them: small tea cakes and cookies and even a large berry tart accompanied the tea pot and cups. Steam rose from the spout of the pot and Katara could smell the fragrant scent of jasmine even through the rain.

Zuko poured out two cups and Katara cradled hers in her fingers, letting the warmth seep into her skin for a moment before taking a sip.

“Wow,” she exhaled, her cheeks slightly flushed from the steam. “This is really good.”

Zuko flushed. “I learned a lot when I was in Ba Sing Se.”

A jolt went through her as she suddenly remembered that day long ago when she’d seen him in the tea shop, serving tea.  _ Serving tea.  _ It seemed too surreal to picture Zuko as he was now, the calm, collected Fire Lord, as a tea server. It was even harder to picture Zuko as he was when they first met, an angry, lost boy forever chasing them across the world in an attempt to capture Aang, as a tea server.

She realized that this must be the puzzle piece to Zuko’s transformation that she hadn’t even realized she was missing.

“Oh, nephew, what a wonderful idea.” 

Iroh’s voice interrupted her thoughts and she looked up to see the portly old man approach their table and pour himself his own cup of tea. He sniffed it, then sipped it cautiously, then took a large gulp and sighed happily.

“You have improved immensely, Fire Lord Zuko.” He grinned at Zuko. 

“Uncle.” Zuko said, almost pleadingly.

“Ah, I can’t let the beautiful Master Katara live under the impression you have  _ always  _ been excellent at making tea.” His grin turned cheeky and he turned to Katara. “I believe you were there when Azula managed to injure me in that abandoned village.”

Katara nodded.

“My dear nephew here took care of me. He did what he could, and he did what he knew I loved. He made tea.”

Zuko’s face was an interesting mix of red and green.

“Only it was the most disgusting thing I’ve ever tasted.” Iroh chuckled. “But of course, I couldn’t break my nephew’s heart by telling him. He was quite fragile back then.”

“I was not  _ fragile!”  _ Zuko protested, almost choking on his own saliva in his haste to refute his uncle’s words.

Iroh laughed. “Of course not, Zuko.”

“Uncle,” Zuko almost whined. “I never have days off to spend with Katara.”

Iroh nodded knowingly. “Right. Apologies for the interruption.” He winked at Katara. “Enjoy the tea.”

Katara laughed as she watched Iroh depart, and as Zuko sank into his seat, his face red as he tried to hide it in his hands, shaking his head and groaning.

“I can’t believe he did that.” He mumbled.

“I think it’s sweet,” Katara said. “You tried to do something for your uncle that you knew he’d like. Even if it didn’t turn out how you wanted, it’s the thought that counts.”

Zuko sipped at his tea and continued shaking his head. “He just wanted to embarrass me.”

“Well, you shouldn’t be embarrassed about caring about people.”

Instead of answering, Zuko took a large bite out of one of the tea cakes.

“So,” Katara continued, sipping more of her tea. “Tell me about Ba Sing Se. I feel like I’ve figured out most of the rest of your adventures, but you were in Ba Sing Se at the same time as we were, and I only ever saw you once. By accident.”

“In the catacombs?” Zuko frowned.

“No. At the tea shop.”

Confusion rippled across Zuko’s face. “What?”

“I almost went in to get a cup of tea at your uncle’s tea shop. And then I saw you and I ran away to get help.”

“Oh.” Zuko stared down at his cup of tea, as if it would reveal some secret. “I didn’t know that.”

“Clearly.” Katara chuckled. “So, how’d that come about?”

“Well,” Zuko sighed, setting down his empty cup and looking up at her. “We actually entered the city as refugees. We lived in the lower ring and barely made enough money to get by. Uncle insisted we work in a tea shop. He um… he made me go on a date, actually.” 

He looked up, almost guiltily. Katara just blinked, interested in the lost stories of Zuko. 

“But then, one day, these rich men came in and they offered Uncle his own tea shop. We’d become pretty famous, I guess, for the tea. So we moved to the upper ring, which I’m guessing is where you saw us.”

“What’s your favorite memory from living there?”

Zuko raised his eyebrow. “Oh… I don’t know. Getting to fight Jet was pretty fun-”

“Wait, you fought Jet? You knew each other?” Katara frowned, confused.

“Oh, yeah. We met on the ferry on the way to the city.” Zuko shrugged. “We stole food from the captain, and he offered me a spot in his gang. I still wanted to find Aang, though, and I didn’t really trust him. And then he went on this whole deal of trying to expose me and my uncle as firebenders, and the Dai Li took him away. I never knew what happened to him until we saw that play on Ember Island.”

Katara tried to process this. She had never considered that Jet and Zuko might have known each other before.

“I didn’t know  _ you  _ knew Jet, until we saw that play.” Zuko added. “Let alone that you and he were…”

She flushed. “He was my first kiss. That’s all.” 

Zuko raised an eyebrow. “Yikes.”

She nodded and downed the rest of her tea. “Yup. Anyway. Apart from that, what was your favorite?”

Zuko considered a moment. “I guess… spending time with my uncle was nice. Living a normal life. Especially once we got to the upper ring. I never knew what it was like, you know, and I got to see all these families, and just… live. No expectations other than to help Uncle in the shop, no pressure to keep moving, keep chasing you. It was peaceful.”

Katara smiled. “Would you go back?”

Zuko met her gaze. “I don’t know. I like my life now. But I wouldn’t have the life I have now if I hadn’t spent that time in Ba Sing Se. I found Appa in the Dai Li’s compound under that lake, and I set him free, and after that… I just… stopped worrying about my father, and Aang, and being a prince. Until Azula showed up.”

“I can’t believe you were there the whole time.” She said. “I wonder what would have happened if I had actually gone into your tea shop that day, before I saw you.”

“I’m… not sure.” Zuko admitted. “We probably would’ve caused a scene and both gotten arrested.” 

They both laughed as they thought about it, and Katara felt like the missing piece of Zuko’s life had been filled in a bit more in her mind.

“Probably,” Katara grinned. “Neither one of us was really good at controlling our temper around each other back then.”

“Little did we know we’d end up dating.” 

She smiled at him, her heart fluttering slightly. “There was a lot we didn’t know back then.”

He smiled back and nodded. “I’m glad we know it now.”

“Me too.”

**Author's Note:**

> So apparently I can't write any scenes without providing some context or backstory so I hope you enjoy this 2500 word scene that's like 65% backstory.
> 
> Thank you so much for this prompt though! I had a lot of fun writing it (meddling Iroh is always fun to write!)


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